He said telecommunications have been disrupted in vast parts of the nation, preventing officials from getting a concise picture of damage and casualties.
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CNN teams in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan all felt strong tremors.
‘I was praying when the massive quake rattled my home.
Across the border in Afghanistan, the TOLOnews outlet reported that the damage in a few areas has been extensive. Communication lines out of many of these areas are still down. Talat Hussein, a news anchor for Pakistan’s Saach TV channel was among those affected.
Buildings have been damaged and landslides have been reported.
At least 206 died and more than 1,300 were injured in Pakistan, the country’s information minister, Pervez Rashid, said Monday evening.
Strong tremors could be felt in Kabul, Afghanistan, New Delhi, India, and Islamabad, Pakistan, where walls swayed back and forth and people poured out of office buildings in a panic.
“As soon as we felt the first tremor we stepped out of our home”.
The US Geological Survey initially measured the quake’s intensity at 7.7 then revised it down to 7.6 and later to 7.5.
Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. The Associated Press says the death toll is at least 43.
The region has a history of powerful earthquakes due to the Indian subcontinent drifting into and under the Eurasian landmass.
Latest reports indicate that at least 80 people have have been confirmed dead across Afghanistan.
In 2005, the country was hit by a 7.6-magnitude quake that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless.
World Vision, an worldwide Christian humanitarian non-profit organization, is now accepting donations to assist natural disaster victims with prepositioned emergency supplies, coordinating efforts with authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan.
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Deaths and injuries have also been reported in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar.
